Hyundai Eon review, test drive

Hyundai is gunning for the Alto with the Eon. How good is it?

Published on Dec 05, 2011 05:17:00 PM

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The Eon doesn't look built to a cost

Good plastic quality and excellent fit and finish make Eon cabin a nice place to be

Eon's three-cylinder, 814cc petrol engine.

A light steering makes the Eon well suited to Indian city traffic conditions and a tight turning circle allows cheeky moves through traffic. However, the Eon isn’t fun to drive and the uneven feel the steering offers contributes to this. There’s lots of slack around the straight-ahead position, but when you pile on the lock, the steering suddenly quickens to the point of being over-responsive. This takes some getting used to at higher speeds and the quick turn-in can also catch the novice driver off-guard. Another negative is the lack of sufficient self-centering action, so you have to keep a firm hand on the steering at all speeds.

Straightline stability is adequate and though strong gusts do rock the car, the overall impression is that the Eon is well planted, especially over minor undulations. Low-speed ride quality is another area where it showed a plushness you wouldn’t really associate with a budget city runabout. Yes, it does thump over bumps, but the suspension does a good job of softening the jolt. Over bad roads, the Eon feels out of its comfort zone and the ride isn’t as flat as we would like. There’s a fair amount of vertical movement, owing to its softly sprung setup.

Suspension noise is also pretty well contained, though road noise gets intrusive as you go faster. In terms of braking, the Eon offers good feel at the pedal and also doesn’t veer much under panic stops.